For more information, contact Raymond at sryamond@phtcorp.com.
GROUP DEVELOPING DEVICE TO TRACK CONTENTMENT
BY ERIN MILLER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
emiller@westhawaiitoday.com
A group of scientists and physicians is working on a new way to help people understand how what they do can affect their health and, ultimately, how happy they are.
Stephen Raymond, a former Harvard University professor and founder of PHT Corp., which sells devices for medical trial participants, said the idea behind his latest company, Personal Health Insights, is to help people get an accurate analysis of their daily activities. That, in turn, can help them better manage their health, he said.
The technology will be particularly useful for people who struggle with anxiety, for example, being overweight or having diabetes, he said.
“The medical model (of doctors giving advice and patients following it) isn’t well-suited to certain kinds of problems,” Raymond said Thursday at his Kailua-Kona home. “There are certain things the patient needs to do; otherwise it isn’t the doctor’s fault.”
Improved health is good, but medical uses weren’t really the primary motivation behind the concept, Raymond said.
“It’s about helping people become happier,” he said.
To that end, Personal Health Insights is tentatively calling the device, which patients may use to answer questions daily about health, mood and how they feel, the Aloha Engine. He picked that name, he said, because of the pleasant images and feelings the word “aloha” evokes — a tropical beach destination, friendly people, a relaxed atmosphere.
“It’s an engine in the sense that it takes you someplace,” he said. “It’s centered on making you feel better.”
People interested in tracking and monitoring their own health will subscribe to the program and inform Personal Health Insights which programs interest them. Potential programs, or modules, include weight loss, managing diabetes, preventing migraines or managing chronic pain, as well as a standard health module for every participant. People will answer about 15 questions a day, then the program will analyze the answers, making connections and creating insights for the user about his health, Raymond said.
The user may share the data with physicians, but isn’t required to do so, he added.
The device isn’t available yet. Raymond is seeking investors to fund the production of the device for about 100 test participants. From there, he hopes to see it become more widespread. He anticipated a monthly subscription cost of about $20. For comparison, he said, that’s about the same as joining Weight Watchers, which focuses only on tracking weight loss data.
For more information, contact Raymond at sryamond@phtcorp.com.